We are all, if we’re honest, like Jesus’ brothers in John chapter 7. We want Jesus to make a big, public spectacle for everyone to see. For us to see. Because that seems to be the thing to do. Go big or go home.
“Jesus, if you can go big, why go small? If you can make a loud noise, why be quiet? If you can do something dramatic, why do something subtle? If you can move mountains in my life, why bother with my molehills?”
Jesus doesn’t come and go in ways we think best. Pay attention to how often he teaches about small, nearly imperceptible things like seeds and yeast. That’s how the kingdom comes. Not with a flashy haze-filled light show, but in the softness of soil being moved or dough being kneaded.
If you pray for Jesus to show up in some big, powerful way, banging down the front door of your life, don’t be surprised if his reply is “no”. But then also don’t be surprised when he sneaks in quietly, nearly imperceptibly, through a side window.
More often than we might like, Jesus comes not publicly, but in secret.
